Day 9: Grand Canyon (second day) and first evening in Lake Powell

Miles driven to-date: 3,102
States visited to-date: 13

We arose today at 4:00am to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. It was an unforgettable experience – much less crowded than last night’s sunset, and the views were amazing.

We then did a 2-mile hike down into the Canyon which was unlike hiking anywhere else because the hard part comes during the second half, when you have to get back up! The hike took us to appropriately-named “Ooh Ahh” point. Here’s a photo of us when we reached Ooh Ahh:

The hike took about an hour and a half and was the perfect way to see the Canyon from a different perspective. It was also nice and cool since we began the trek at about 6:20am!

Sadly, it was time to take our tent down and get on the road again as our next stop was Lake Powell. Steve said the 140-mile drive to Page, AZ was one of the most interesting yet and he commented that the landscape in Arizona looked as though it belonged on a different planet. We were also amazed that from the highway we could see huge plumes of smoke formed by the raging wildfires here in northern Arizona:

We arrived at Lake Powell in the late afternoon and checked into our room at the lodge. I know my Dad will be jealous when he sees that this was the view from our balcony:

The marina was filled with houseboats, complete with propane grills and waterslides leading from the upper deck into the water. We heard they cost about $10,000 for a week’s rental, but can fit up to 14 people so many families and friends share a boat and can then explore all of the Lake’s canals and hidden coves.

The evening was fairly uneventful as we needed to do some laundry and take quick naps after getting up so early for sunrise, but we wanted to be rested before the next day’s adventures began. More soon . . . thanks for checking in!

Day 10: Boat cruise on Lake Powell

Miles driven to-date: 3,102
States visited to-date: 14

After doing a little reading about Lake Powell, it became clear that one of the things any visitor here must do is visit Rainbow Bridge. The rock bridge, formed millions of years ago by a fortuitous pattern of erosion, is one of the natural wonders of the world and is an important religious site to many of the Native Americans who live nearby on the largest Navajo reservation in the U.S. (the reservation is about as big as the state of West Virginia). The bridge is only accessible by boat so we arranged to join an all-day boat cruise leaving from the lodge.

Because the bridge is about 50 boat miles from the marina, it took 3 hours to get there. The ride there gave us a chance to see the amazing rock formations all around Lake Powell, as well as the entrances to many of the 96 canals that extend off of the main part of the lake. We learned that the lake’s combined coastline make it bigger than the entire west coast of the continental United States. The lake is also 500 feet deep in some places, and is a beautiful greenish-blue color. 95% of the lake is in the state of Utah though the lodge is located in Arizona, which is how we were able to add another state to our list without adding any more miles to the car!

The two different colors of this rock show the highest water level. The locals call this the lake’s “bathtub ring.”

To give you a sense of the size of these rocks, see how tiny the houseboat at the bottom looks!

After docking the boat near Rainbow Bridge, we hiked about a mile to actually reach it. You can see below that it was quite impressive! It is so big that a 747 could fly underneath it; you could fit the Capitol building under it; and if you removed the Statue of Liberty from her pedestal, she could fit under it as well.

We enjoyed lunch on the boat during the three-hour ride back to the marina. It was in the high-90s so we had to drink lots of water and apply sunscreen all of the time, but managed to avoid dehydration and sunburn. The local news predicted a high of 113 for Phoenix, so we felt lucky for the relatively cool temperatures.

After returning to the lodge, we relaxed on the red sand beach and swam in the beautiful water. We heard that in July the water temperature can reach 85, but for now it was nice and cool. We were actually somewhat disappointed with the accommodations at the lodge and vowed to come back to rent a houseboat, which is really the best way to experience Lake Powell anyway. After a relaxing dinner at the hotel restaurant overlooking the beautiful rock formations, we called it a day – the sun had worn us out!

Day 11: Last morning at Lake Powell and on to Bryce Canyon

Miles driven to-date: 3,259
States visited to-date: 14


Steve was excited to watch the World Cup soccer game featuring the U.S. but because ESPN didn’t come in very well in our room, he got up at 6:30am and watched the game on the TV in the lodge’s gym. I joined him there a bit later and we worked out while cursing at the ref as the team lost.

With only a couple of hours left at Lake Powell, we decided to rent a kayak. It was another gorgeous day (we have been really lucky as far as weather) but hot enough that it felt great to jump into the cool water. We wished we had more time to explore some of the lake’s coves, but it was time to get back on the road again. We really hope to return some day to rent a houseboat!

We hit the road again and drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. My friend Kelly had said great things about Bryce but I didn’t really know what to expect. We were greeted by a beautifully laid out park ~ we had read that at 56 square miles, it is about “as big as the Grand Canyon’s broom closet.” We found the park to be very manageable to explore, and we were mightily impressed by the lodge and restaurant right in the park. Steve had tried to get reservations in one of the adorable cabins with amazing views but they were booked so we stayed at a motel a few miles away; we vowed to come back someday to stay right on site.

We enjoyed a great early dinner at the lodge’s restaurant and giggled when the waiter told Steve that because of Utah state law, he had to finish the last sip of his beer before he could receive his refill. We then explored by hiking the Rim Trail to see amazing views of the famous Bryce Amphitheatre, pictured below:

Bryce is known for its “hoo doos” – unique rock formations caused by millions of years of erosion. The coral-colored rocks are gradually eaten away by melting snow and rain and eventually form these stalagmite-like structures. It was truly breathtaking.

We made our way from Inspiration Point to Sunset Point in time to see the sun drop below the skyline, creating incredible shadows on the hoo doos. Hiking at over 9,000 feet, we were out of breath pretty easily!

Having heard about the incredible stargazing at Bryce, we decided to stay at the edge of the canyon after the sun went down to catch a glimpse of the many stars. As you can imagine, that part of Utah doesn’t have a lot of light pollution so almost immediately bright, twinkling stars began to emerge. We had to wait almost 2 hours, however, for it to get really dark so we enjoyed a couple of beers along the canyon’s rim as we waited. We had picked up two kinds of Utah beers at the campground store: “Provo Girl” and “Polygamy Porter.” We loved the slogans of the latter: “Why have just one?” and “Bring some home to the wives!” Here’s a photo of Steve enjoying a beer as the stars came out:

It got chilly as we waited, but it was well worth it – the stars were amazing and we could see much more of the Milky Way than we had ever seen before. It was quite peaceful because we were all alone, though I could tell Steve was a little nervous about our proximity to the park’s wildlife; he turned to me at one point and casually asked, “What’s our mountain lion plan?” We eventually headed back to the motel to get some rest before hiking the next day.

Day 12: Second day at Bryce Canyon; Zion and Las Vegas

Miles driven to-date: 3,573
States visited to-date: 15

We got up early to head over to Bryce for a few more hours. The main park road is 18 miles long and has several scenic stops along the way, so we started at one end and worked our way to the other, pulling over and taking pictures at different points. We both remarked that the hoo doos and views looked different each way you turned your head, so seeing them from different perspectives throughout the park was interesting.

We then wanted to get up close and personal with the hoo doos so we did a short hike down into the canyon. The rocks were surprisingly smooth and cool to the touch, and seeing the large structures from the ground up was another neat experience.

Steve hiking among the hoo doos.

Heading back on the road again, we drove about 90 miles to Zion National Park. Because of limited time, we knew we would only be able to drive through the park without stopping for long, but that still gave us a chance to get an overview of the place. We were most impressed by the enormous rock formations looming above us in every direction. We also enjoyed driving through a mile-long tunnel in the rock. We got out of the car to take a few photos as we drove through the park.

The roadside view in Zion.

It was another gorgeous day, although the hottest we’d yet experienced. Here’s a picture of the car’s thermometer as we headed out of Zion:

For just a bit of a change from Bryce and Zion, we made our way into Las Vegas in the late afternoon. We had both already been to Sin City but in terms of our route, it made sense to stop there overnight. Plus, my brother Scott rented a motorcycle and drove out from L.A. to meet us!

Scott spent about six hours hunched over this bike as he rode to Vegas. I was impressed he could even walk afterwards.

Thanks to Steve, we had a cheap room at the Tropicana Hotel right on the strip. The hotel itself was kind of gross but the location was great, and we enjoyed a quick dip in the pool in the still-blazing afternoon heat. We saw countless drunken idiots, wedding photos being taken next to the pool, a pregnant woman smoking in the hot tub, and a woman changing her baby’s diaper practically in the water. Gotta love Vegas!

My Dad had given us a few suggestions for places to eat, so we went to Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay. Thanks for the suggestion, Dad - the food was great (you can choose from different gourmet toppings for your burger) and it gave us a chance to catch up with Scott and hear about how his scriptwriting is coming along. Steve was also amused to get a few messages from Rusty from the Pearl Jam concert in Pittsburgh during the evening. He wondered if Rusty and IV have quit their jobs and become “roadies” for the band?

After dinner we walked up and down the strip, taking in the sights and sounds. When we got to Caesar's, I was reminded of our family's wonderful trip here a couple of years ago to see Celine Dion's show.

It was amazingly hot out, even late into the night. We kept remarking that even the breeze didn't really help; it just felt like hot air blowing around.

Vegas can certainly be fun, but being there made me glad that the rest of our trip will be focused on nicer cities or national parks! By about 2:30am, we were all pretty tired and crawled into our hygienically-questionable beds at the Trop. It was a fun evening, and was especially great to see Scott!

Day 13: First evening in San Francisco

Miles driven to-date: 4,143
States visited to-date: 16

Knowing we had a long day of driving ahead of us to get to San Francisco, we left Scott sleeping at the hotel as we got on the road by about 8:00am. It was quite hot out already; in fact, at about 9:30am we passed a sign for the World’s Largest Thermometer in a small town in the Mojave Desert, and the huge thermometer already read 107!

We stopped for gas in Bakersfield, California and because it was lunchtime, we had to track down the nearest In-n-Out Burger . . . it’s one of those California things you just need to do.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and we arrived in San Francisco in the early evening. Neither of us had yet been to this great city and we were excited to explore.

We were so fortunate that a good friend from college, Jeremiah, had agreed to take us in for our two days in San Francisco. He lives in a great apartment in the Mission section of the city and it was wonderful to be close to the subway so we could get around easily. Thanks, Jer, for your hospitality!

Steve and I set out on our own that evening because Jeremiah had plans, so we headed for Chinatown to walk around. It was fun to see all of the hustle and bustle, as well as the beautiful clothing and jewelry for sale.

We made our way to North Beach, the Italian section of town. It is like the San Francisco equivalent of Boston’s North End and has tons of adorable Italian restaurants and cafés. We had read about a restaurant called L’Osteria del Forno in the “Let’s Go” travel guide and decided to try it out. It was great and we both highly recommend it.

After dinner we wandered around a little more and saw a beautiful church in Washington Square that was apparently the wedding site of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio:

So far we have both been really impressed with San Francisco and are looking forward to exploring more tomorrow. I just wish my other college friend Claire still lived here so she could show us her favorite sights. The fog you hear about was definitely present, and we were amazed that the temperature was close to 50 degrees lower here than it was yesterday outside of Vegas.

Tomorrow we plan to watch the Gay Pride Parade and are going on an evening tour of Alcatraz . . . more to come soon!

Day 14: San Francisco

We wanted to make the most of our time in San Francisco, so we got up early and headed downtown. Believe it or not, the one day we happened to be here was the day of the Gay Pride Parade! We arrived early enough to stake out a good spot, and we waited for the fun to begin.


There were certainly some interesting characters milling about. The weather was gorgeous and the feeling was very festive – people seemed happy and content to be a part of such a big celebration. The parade began with hoards of lesbians riding motorcycles; they called themselves “Dykes on Bikes.” Next the men came on their motorcycles with a “Mikes on Bikes” sign. There were drag queens, naked people, gay and lesbian police officers walking in uniform with their partners, people marching for gay family rights, and everything in between. Jennifer Beals of “Flashdance” and “The L Word” was the Grand Marshall of the parade and we got a great close-up view of her, shown below:

Here are just a couple of pictures of the marchers we saw:

We stayed for awhile and had a great time taking it all in. It felt nice to be a part of something so joyful and celebratory.

Our host for the weekend, Jeremiah, joined us during the parade and then the three of us walked through downtown to the Embarcadero part of the city. That area was damaged in the ’89 earthquake but was renovated into a market area with cute shops and restaurants. We enjoyed lunch outside in the warm sun, and it was great to catch up.

We then walked through Telegraph Hill and up a nauseating number of stairs to get a different view of the Bay and the city (we ended up walking so much that Steve got blisters).

Jeremiah was a great host and tour guide.

Jer had to go so we parted ways, grateful for his hospitality. Steve and I then walked some more and made our way down Lombard Street (pictured below), the “curviest street in America.” Lest we get too excited, a local drove by all of us tourists and yelled out the window of his car, “It’s just a street that curves. It’s not that f*&%ing big of a deal!”

I still thought Lombard Street was cool.

We then rode the famous San Francisco cable cars to get down to Fisherman’s Wharf. Steve thought the Wharf was a little too touristy, but I liked it - there was certainly a lot going on. We had a beer by the water, took some photos of the sea lions lounging on a nearby dock, and boarded our 6:20 boat for Alcatraz.

The Alcatraz tour was very interesting and also creepy. We learned a lot about the history of the place, including facts like it was created after the Gold Rush as a fortress to protect San Francisco, it was a federal prison for 29 years, and it was occupied by Native Americans in the early 1970s as they protested the way they had been treated by the government. We also saw many of the cells and solitary confinement areas; you can see below that I wanted out!

We enjoyed the evening tour because it included a few unique features, such as a tour with park rangers as well as views of the Rock after dark.

After the tour, we headed to Ghirardelli Square to check out the famous chocolate store (Jesse, you’ll be proud that I snagged numerous free samples and considered donning a disguise to obtain more). We vowed to return to try one of the giant ice cream sundaes.

We eventually made it back to Jeremiah’s neighborhood and had a quick Thai meal before getting back home. I did laundry while Steve rested because of the big driving day coming up.

We probably won’t have internet access for a couple of days so don’t be surprised if there isn’t a new posting for a bit. Thanks for reading and leaving your comments – we love hearing your thoughts on our trip’s progress. Hope you are all well!

Day 15: California and Oregon coasts; first night at Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, OR

Miles driven to-date: 4,720
States visited to-date: 17

Because we had over 12 hours of driving ahead of us, we got a very early start and headed out of San Francisco at 6:30am. We were excited to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge but because of the morning fog, we couldn’t see much of it! Another thing to do on a future visit . . . We loved San Francisco and can’t wait to come back to explore some more.

We took Highway 101 North the whole way and saw some amazing scenery. The drive up 101 took us through northern California's wine region, the redwood forests, and the spectacular Oregon coastline. The redwoods were incredible – they were so big that it looked as though the trunks of five or six regular trees had been combined into one. And the Oregon coastline was just stunning. Each twist and turn in the road unveiled a different view of the waves crashing on the rocks below.

Here are just a couple of photos of the views we saw. We kept pulling over to snap pictures, but they really don’t do it justice.

Steve has been doing a great job handling most of the driving, while during our stretches on the highway I have been working on organizing (and backing up!) our many photos on the computer as well as writing updates for this website so that we can upload new information whenever we next have internet access. We have also enjoyed some episodes of “Alias” courtesy of Anna – thanks for lending us season 4!

Check out the tiny person on the right side of the picture! These rocks along the Oregon coast were huge.

You can probably tell, by the way, how much we have loved having our wonderful digital camera on this trip. It was a wedding gift from Steve’s parents and I really don’t know what we would do without it! We have also been taking video clips with it that will be great mementos and will help remind us of what it was like to actually experience these places.

Anyway, Steve had found a bed and breakfast called the Sylvia Beach Hotel in his “1,000 Things to Do Before You Die” book (another great road trip resource). We had decided to splurge and were especially excited because the hotel was right on the beach in Newport, OR. It was a book-themed place and each room was decorated in the style of a different author, complete with volumes of his or her works. The dining area was called Tables of Content and the place was also famous for its great dinners. We were therefore glad to arrive about 15 minutes before the meal was served because we were in for a real treat!

We checked into our amazing room (more on that in a moment) and scurried down to dinner. The host seated us with four other guests and after ordering some locally produced beverages, we learned that guests always play “Two Truths and a Lie” at these meals. I’m not sure how you might have played this game, but the rules were that each person at the table was allowed to ask the other people three questions about their statements. You were supposed to lie about your lie and pretend that it was actually true, so our acting skills were put to the test. We decided that Steve wouldn’t be allowed to play during my turn, and vice versa. I had a hard time listening to everyone else’s tales because I was busy trying to think up a good lie! I decided to go with 1) I used to be a springboard and platform diver, 2) it rained so hard on our wedding day that the roads flooded and the power went out, and 3) I shattered my kneecap in a gymnastics accident (I used my experience with a shattered elbow to give some good details about this, which was of course my lie). Steve chose three contest-related statements and said that he had won a trip to Brazil, had won a trip to Telluride to ski (his lie), and had been brought by a friend to Los Angeles to meet Tom Cruise when that friend won a contest (that, of course, was me and was true!). It was a really fun game and gave us a chance to get to know our fellow guests pretty well in a short amount of time. They were each from very different places around the country and it was nice to hear about what they do and what had brought them to this particular hotel (several had been there many times over the years). By the way, the food was just spectacular and all in all it was an unforgettable evening.

We then retired to our room – the Agatha Christie room.

It was filled with clues from the author’s mysteries and also had a wonderful wood-burning fireplace! Perhaps the best part, though, was the view and private balcony right outside.

Needless to say we spend the evening curled up by the fireplace with our noses in our books, except when I took a quick break to enjoy some hot mulled spiced wine in the library upstairs. I think I may have found the perfect place for my Mom, as well as a few others who might be reading this now!

Tomorrow we are off to the Willamette Valley- Oregon's famous wine region!

Day 16: Morning at Sylvia Beach Hotel and on to Oregon’s wine country

Miles driven to-date: 4,829
States visited to-date: 17

Where do I even begin? Today was an amazing day. It’s been hard to rank each of our experiences so far, but this was up there!

We first had a delicious breakfast at our hotel and then took a long walk on the beach right outside of our room. It was quite windy and chilly, but made us appreciate the fireplace in the room even more!

There were lots of these clear jellyfish washed up on the beach.

The beach was also lined with these amazing dunes.

Sadly, it was time to get back on the road so we drove the 80 miles or so into Willamette Valley, Oregon which is about 20 miles southeast of Portland. This area is known for its wineries and we were excited to do some sampling. We decided to begin the afternoon by heading to Argyle, which produced the first Oregon wine to be served at the White House. We noticed right away that the grounds of the vineyard were beautiful and there were flowers everywhere. The wines were tasty and of course we bought a bottle (that became the theme as we went to other places; we were so glad to have the minivan so we could store all of these souvenirs!).

We sampled wine at Rex Hill and Erath, two other local vineyards. Each had its own distinct flavor of wine as well as uniquely designed gardens. In fact, this whole area had amazing flora. While I wasn’t able to capture a photo, you’ll have to believe me when I say that even the Taco Bell had gorgeous flower beds!

Steve had reserved a room at another B&B from his “1,000 Things to Do Before You Die” ~ the Wine Country Farm Bed & Breakfast. It might have been the nicest place we’ve ever stayed.

Guests were free to roam about the grounds and admire the many beautiful nooks and crannies. The gazebo above was just one of places where we could relax and enjoy our books or a glass of wine (or both!).

Thankfully, the place had wireless web so you can see Steve checking his email on the back porch in the photo below. It was hard to concentrate on cyberspace given the beautiful views of the grapes, though.

The B&B produces its own wine so we tried their varieties and then had a complimentary glass. Our room was incredibly comfortable and it felt like being in someone’s (nice) home. We thought one or two of you might appreciate this hammock which was just outside of our room:

It’s hard to describe how perfect the climate was, but it reminded me of a really nice summer day at our Erie cottage – the air had that clean, fresh smell and the way the sun shone through the trees was gorgeous. The owner of the B&B told us that the soil in the part of Oregon is some of the most fertile in the world which helps to explain the abundance of plants everywhere. She mentioned that the huge plant company Monrovia (which some of you may be familiar with since it apparently supplies greenhouses along the East Coast) produces so much right in their small town that they employ about 500 locals for their 1,000 acres! Everywhere we looked we saw beautiful arrangements. We were also constantly amazed by the views of the breathtaking vineyards all around us.

All of that wine tasting had really tired us out so we took a nice siesta and then got ready for dinner. Being in the middle of wine country, we figured it made sense to eat at . . . a brewery. Steve had read about some Oregon restaurants called McMenamins which were opened by a couple of creative guys. They converted several old buildings (hotels, schoolhouses, etc.) into restaurants / brewpubs / hotels/ movie theatres and we enjoyed a great meal on the rooftop of a renovated 1920’s-era hotel. During dinner, we talked about how we were amazed by Oregon. It felt like a wonderful place to live ~ the cost of living seemed much more reasonable than in Boston, Portland is nearby, the list of outdoor activities is endless, and the people were great. We even went so far as to discuss trying to find summer internships in Portland next year! Admittedly, it’s easy to fall in love with a place during a trip like this but something about this area just felt right to us (provided our families would move out here too, of course). By the time we left dinner, the temperature outside had cooled considerably and we saw some beautiful stars on the way back to our comfortable bed.

Day 17: Second day in Willamette Valley, OR; lunch in Portland; on to Spokane, WA

Miles driven to-date: 5,249
States visited to-date: 18


We dragged ourselves out of bed to squeeze in a quick run (all of this food and wine has padded our middles just a bit!). It was a beautiful morning and it was amazing to run among the grapevines but we struggled on the many hills near the B&B. Luckily, we returned just in time for the homemade breakfast. Joan, our hostess, was clearly a master chef because the food was unforgettable. The fertile land in the area produces wonderful berries and my favorite part was raspberries and blackberries smothered with heavy whipping cream. South Beach diet, here we come . . .

We ran up this road during our morning jog (notice the flowers!)

It was incredibly hard to say goodbye to our gorgeous bed and breakfast, but once again we vowed to come back. It was just the most relaxing place.

Wanting to spend as much time as possible in this great area, we went to a few more wineries for tastings before heading out of town. Most of the local establishments were featured in a handy “Guide to Willamette Valley Wineries” which contained maps and notes about each place. The guide did not, however, mention how much the tastings cost and we arrived at one vineyard to learn it was $15 (per person!) to sample their four or five wines. We didn’t stay there long as we had agreed that $10 per tasting was our limit. Fortunately, many other places fell within our price range and we tried some great wines at White Rose, Lange, and Ponzi.

The tasting room at White Rose was decorated like a barn but had the nicest, most eclectic furniture.

Steve was tuckered out from lifting his glass at White Rose, so he relaxed outside (clutching his souvenir bottle of pinot for dear life).

I liked this sign at the Lange winery.

We caught several glimpses of Mount Hood in the distance (though it didn’t come out very well in the photos, like the one above). We heard from several people that you can ski there year-round, and it’s only a little over an hour outside of Portland.

Our last winery was in nearby Beaverton, Oregon which may sound familiar to some of you because it’s home to the headquarters of Nike. I had read about the company’s amazing facilities but we wanted to see the place for ourselves. We were incredibly impressed, and have both decided to work there after school (easier said than done, I know . . . ). A friendly employee told us that all of the buildings are named after Nike-sponsored athletes (Mia Hamm, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, etc.). Here’s a picture of the small part of “campus” we were able to see:

By the way, before tearing ourselves away from Willamette Valley we got the van’s oil changed. I’m sure my parents are relieved to read that! :)

Given our newfound love for Oregon, we were excited to move on to see Portland for the first time. We drove through the city and thought it was really nice – smaller and more manageable than Boston and again we noticed many beautiful plants and trees. The city is bordered by the Willamette River and Steve had read that people actually kayak to work (we kept thinking of you, Rusty!). For a late lunch we stopped at another branch of the McMenamins family. This restaurant / hotel/ brewery used to be an elementary school but was since converted into a really cool place. The owners kept many of the features of the school (for example, some of the hotel rooms have chalkboards in them, and one of the bars is called the detention room). You can see from this picture that the outside still resembles a school:

In spite of a power failure during our meal, we enjoyed their beer sampler and tater tots (we just had to order them given the educational setting). The sampler was served on a plastic cafeteria tray! Hitting the road again, we realized we’ve gone as far west as we plan to during this trip which was sort of a startling thought. As much as we try to enjoy every moment, in some ways it is flying by!

The drive out of Portland was – once again – just beautiful. We paralleled the Columbia River and watched the sun set over some large rolling hills. We drove into our 18^th state late in the evening and stayed at a Fairfield Inn in Spokane, Washington. We head to Glacier National Park for three days so will not likely have internet access until after that part of the trip. Then we’re moving on to Yellowstone so will have another blog drought, but promise to update the site as soon as we can. We appreciate your comments and love knowing that you’re following along. Hope you are all well!